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Alaskan Ranched vs. Canadian Farmed Salmon

Photograph by: Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun, Financial Post

Vivian Krause’s article in Tuesday’s Vancouver Sun argues that growing consumer concern about the impacts of B.C. farmed salmon benefits the Alaskan salmon ranching industry. Krause points out that the Packard Foundation is a major funder of campaigns that discourage the consumption of farmed salmon. She argues that the movement to “wild salmon” often means Alaskan ranched salmon.

In 2008, Alaska harvested 58 million hatchery-born, “ocean-ranched” salmon. In comparison, B.C. harvests only 22 million farmed salmon annually. Ranched salmon are marketed as “wild caught,” but these fish are not wild. … Since the “anti-farming campaign” doesn’t demarket Alaskan ranched salmon, this isn’t an anti-aquaculture campaign. This is more like a “buy American” campaign that is not overt. …[read full article]

It seems to me, then, that people who want to buy wild salmon need to ask more questions about where the fish (and other seafood) they are consuming is from; or better yet, purchase straight from the fishermen at places like Fisherman’s Wharf in Steveston.